Electrical connector straightener



Dec. 24, 1968 F. A. LOEW 3,

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR STRAIGHTENER Filed Oct. 12, 1965 l/VVE/V 70k. FREDR/CK A L OEW B X9414 W PH-1L.

United States Patent 3,417,603 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR STRAIGHTENER Frederick A. Loew, 10141 Chestnut St., Franklin Park, Ill. 60131 Filed Oct. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 495,075 6 Claims. (Cl. 72-479) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tool for straightening and re-shaping the outer metal protective wall of electrical connectors.

This invention relates to a tool for straightening and re-shaping electrical connectors and more particularly relates to a tool for straightening BNC and similar type electrical connectors.

It is a problem with electrical connectors, especially the BNC type connectors, that the outer body portion of the connectors tend to bend out of shape. One cause for this is that the connectors protrude out from the surface to which it is mounted to and quite often, inadvertently, forceful and damaging contact is made with another surface. Consequently, the frequency of the bending of the connectors is substantially greater for military mobile equipment or manually transported equipment which under normal operating conditions are susceptible to greater abuses than stationary equipment. Also, the lack of due care when mating the connectors may result in the outer body portions becoming distorted. Moreover, the continual plugging and unplugging of the connectors sometimes cause a weakening in the connector outer structure and the eventual bending of the same.

The undesirable result of the aforementioned bending problem is either that the connector becomes inoperative or connects with another connector only after applying substantially more force than should normally be required. In the latter situation, the bending of the connector gradually increases until eventually the connector becomes inoperative.

To prevent the occurrence of the bending problem, caps were provided to cover over the connectors and protect the same. Although capable of adequately protecting the connectors, the caps, however, were rarely used in practice and consequently were of little value. By far the most widely employed means, heretofore, for overcoming this bending problem was simply to replace the connector. This is of course objectionable because of the cost and time involved in the replacement of the connector. Moreover, during the time necessary to replace the connector, it was sometimes necessary to suspend operations of entire electronic systems.

A related problem to the above is the frequent bending of adaptor connectors for the electrical connectors mounted to a chassis or extending from a cable. Since these adaptor connectors are not permanently attached to another structure, they are even more susceptible to abusive contact.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to straighten and re-shape the bent outer body portion of a connector to substantially extend the useful life of the same.

It is another object to provide a tool for re-shaping the outer body portion of a connector without damaging the electrical conducting portion positioned in the inside thereof.

It is a feature of this invention to provide a tool having a tip portion with a maximum outer dimension slightly less than the internal dimension of an outer body portion of an electrical connector, to permit frictional contact of the tip portion inside said connector for re-shaping the outer body portion to said maximum dimension.

It is another feature to provide a tool having a tip portion with an upper portion and an inwardly tapering lower portion. The tapering lower portion permits the tool to be initially inserted into the electrical connector in order to re-shape the connector to the contour of the upper portion.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from the inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, objects, features, and many of its advantages, should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electrical connector straightener spaced apart from a normal connector;

FIG. la is a perspective view of a distorted outer body portion of and electrical connector which is re-shaped by the connector straightener of the invention herein;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector straightener operatively positioned within a connector;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 33 in FIG. 2 and viewed in the direction indicated; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the connector straightener taken substantially on the plane of the line 4-4 in FIG. 1 and viewed in the direction indicated.

Referring now generally to the figures of the drawing, the reference character 10 indicates generally a connector straightener for an electrical connector 12 and embodying the principles of the invention. The connector straightener 10 may be of any suitable outer physical configuration, but in the embodiment illustrated, the same comprises a tubular shaft 16, a hollow tubular tip portion 18 and an elongated rod 20 at the tip end of shaft 16. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connector straightener 10 is inserted into the connector 12 for straightening or re-shaping the outer body portion or housing 24 which, for one reason or another, has become bent or distorted (see FIGS. 1 and In).

As shown in FIGS. 1, IA and 3, the connector 12 has an electrical signal conductor member 26 centrally positioned inside thereof and spaced from the outer body portion 24. The conductor member 26 may be an upwardly extending mounting with the actual electrical signal conducting part supported in the inside thereof. As shown, but in no way a limitation, the electrical signal member 26 is a female pin to mate with a male pin from a male electrical connector.

The hollow tip portion 18 extends downward from a shoulder 28 of shaft 16 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). The hollow inside part 30 of tip portion 18 is dimensioned to fit over the signal conducting member 26 of connector 12 to protect the same during the straightening operation.

The hollow tip portion 18 includes an upper portion 32 and a tapered lower portion 34 (FIG. 1). The upper portion 32 may be annular in shape and dimensioned to frictionally fit within the normal inner dimension of the outer body portion 32 of the electrical connector. The tapered lower portion 34 enables the straightening tool 10 to be initially inserted within the outer body portion 24 of the connector 12 for obtaining a starting grip to force the outer body portion back to its original shape. Moreover, fl1e tapered lower portion 34 permits the applied force to be gradually transmitted to the bent areas and thereby more accurately controlling the re-shaping operation.

The length of tip portion 18 must be properly dimensioned so that at least a part of the upper portion 32 extends within the electrical connector 12 and in frictional contact with the outer body portion 24. Preferably, and as shown in FIG. 3, the length of tip portion 18 contacts the inside bottom surface of the connector 12 and the shoulder 28 abuts the peripheral upper edge 38 of the outer body portion 24. In this manner, the tip portion 18 is braced at the top and bottom when inserted within the outer body portion 24 of the connector and the movement of the straightening tool may be controlled to a greater extent. However, with this construction, the re-shaping tool herein would be adaptable primarily for a particular type connector such as the commonly used BNC connector.

The elognated rod may be fixedly associated with the tubular shaft 16 or otherwise associated thereto. Although the elongated rod 20 is shown substantially perpendicular to the tubular shaft 16, any other suitable arrangement for a gripping structure may be used.

The mounting of the electrical connector 12 to a chassis of an electronic apparatus may be made by inserting screws through openings 40 of the base 42 of the electrical connector or by any other suitable means. The internal connection of the connector 12 to a signal contact inside of the electronic apparatus is made via pin 44 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

For re-shaping a bent electrical connector such as is shown in FIG. 1a, the tip portion 18 of the connector straightener 10 is initially inserted inside the connector 12 over the electrical signal conductor member 26 and pressed in the inward direction. When resistance is met inside the connector, the connector straightener 10 may be simultaneously twisted and pressed inward to gradually ease the outer body portion 24 back into shape. Hence, the combination of pressing and twisting re-shapes the previously distorted outer body portion 24 (FIG. 1a). Moreover, if after the tip portion 18 has been inserted inside the connector 12 and the shoulder 28 abuts against the peripheral upper edge 38 of the connector and the bottom end 36 contacts the inside bottom surface thereof, the connector straightener 10 has sufiicient bracing points to control the re-shaping operation in the outer body portion 24 when shaft 16 is twisted back and forth.

By way of example, it has been found that a /2 inch operative length for a hollow tip portion 16 having an upper annular portion 34 of ,4 inch length having an outer diameter of .335 inch, and a tapered lower portion 34 of inch length and tapering from an outer diameter of .335 to at least .320 at the bottom end 36, pro vides a satisfactory tip portion for re-shaping a BNC type of connector. The dimension of the bottom end 36 of tip portion 16 is, of course, controlled by the necessary dimension for the hollow inside 30.

For a modified version of the construction of the connector straightener 10, the tip portion 18 may be pressfitted into shaft 16 or threadedly associated therewith (not shown). In this manner, the operative length of tip portion 18 may be varied when using the same with the various connectors.

From the foregoing description and drawings, it should be apparent that I have provided a novel electrical connector straightener of a simplified construction which accomplished the aforestated objects and features in a remarkably unexpected fashion. A tip portion 18 is dimensioned to fit within an electrical connector 12 for reshaping the outer body portion 24 thereof. The lower portion 34 of the tip portion may be tapered to enable the tip to be inserted into the connector and at the same time gradually control the amount of pressure applied to the outer body portion 24. The tip portion 18 further includes a hollow inside which protects the electrical signal conducting member 26. Although a BNC female electrical connector is illustrated in the drawing, a male BNC connector and other similar type connectors are within the contemplation of this invention.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

I claim:

1. A connector straightener for electrical connectors having a bent outer body portion spaced outward from an electrical signal conducting member comprising:

a shaft; and

a hollow tip portion formed to said shaft and spaced inward from the outer edges of the shaft to define a shoulder therebetween, said tip including an upper portion and lower portion, said upper portion extending downward from the bottom end of the shaft and having an outer surface diameter dimension slightly less than the inside dimension of a normal body portion of the electrical connector, said lower portion extending downward from said upper portion to the bottom end of said tip, said lower portion having a maximum diameter dimensioned less than said maximum dimension of said upper portion, the inside diameter of the hollow of the tip being greater than the greatest outside surface diameter dimension of said signal member, said lower portion permitting entrance of said tip portion within said bent connector to enable said tip to re-shape said outer body portion to the contour of said upper portion when pressure is applied to said shaft.

2. A connector straightener as defined in claim 1 wherein said lower portion tapers inwardly from adjacent said upper portion to the bottom end of said tip portion to provide control of the initial force applied against said outer body portion.

3. A connector straightener as defined in claim 2 wherein:

the length of said tip portion being dimensioned to enable said shoulder to abut against the upper peripheral edge of said outer body portion of the connector and the bottom end of said tip portion to abut against the inside bottom surface of said connector and thereby providing bracing surfaces for said connector straightener when said shaft is forcibly twisted and pressed inwardly and outwardly against the bent outer body portion.

4. A connector straightener as defined in claim 3, wherein an elongated rod member extends outwardly substantialfy perpendicular from said shaft to serve as a gripping structure, when twisting said shaft for re-shaping said outer body portion of the connector to the form of said upper member.

5. A connector straightener as defined in claim 3, wherein said upper portion is annular in shape and said tapered lower portion is circular in cross-section.

6. A tool for re-shaping an electrical connector having an outer body portion and a signal conductor member centrally positioned and spaced inward from said outer body:

a shaft having a shoulder at the bottom end thereof;

a hollow tip portion extending downward from said shoulder and including an annular upper portion integrally connected to a lower portion, the hollow of said tip extending downward from the part of the upper portion of the tip adjacent the shoulder to an open lower end of the tip, said lower portion having a circular cross-sectional area and tapering inwardly to the bottom end of said tip portion, said tip portion fitting over said signal conductor member to protect the same, the outer surface of said upper annular portion being dimensioned slightly less than the internal diameter dimension of said outer body portion to permit a frictional fit therewith, said tapered lower portion permitting entrance inside said outer body portion and applying gradual outer pressure against the inside of said outer body portion to enable said annular portion to be positioned inside said connector to re-shape the outer body portion to the shape of said annular portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1918 Loranger 72-479 X US. Cl. X.R. 

